Daily Mail's Wade bids farewell after six years

There's an old adage that most everyone is familiar with, which says, "All good things must come to an end." It reportedly originated in a 14th century poem by Geoffrey Chaucer and until long after it was first coined, the word "good" was nowhere in the famous saying.

Though it has been adapted over time, the meaning of that old adage is universal and still holds true today. As of the end of this week, I will be a walking example of that concept.

Though Thursday will be the last day I actually come to work due to the holiday on Friday, my tenure at the Daily Mail will be coming to an end with this week. Resigning this position wasn't an easy decision for me to make, but the decisions we have to make in life aren't always easy.

Before I go, however, there are a number of people I want to thank.

First of all, the staff here at the Daily Mail. Those above and around me in this organization have made my time here a very valuable experience in many ways, through both stints.

Another big thank you goes out to a predecessor of mine here at the Daily Mail, Joe Warren. When I began my first full-time run here, he was always more than willing to help me out, since I not only didn't have much in the way of knowledge and experience with Nevada and Vernon County, but I also had essentially no experience in the field of journalism.

Even more influential in my career and the growth I've experienced within it was Kevin McKinley. Probably the best athletic director I've encountered, McKinley was always there to give me tips and help me out with information I needed. But with him, it was far more than just a strong professional relationship.

McKinley is a man I will go through the rest of my life proudly calling my friend. Since I've been here, I've had two different bouts with serious medical issues and he was always at the front of the line to help me out in any way possible, from care packages and cards to messages of support.

Next, I'd like to thank Jason Irwin, Jeff Post, Shaun Gray, John McNeley, Brent Bartlett, Danny Penn, Jamie Alexander and Tyler Judd. From the varied and often entertaining discussions I had with Post that made Nevada Lady Tigers and Nevada Griffons baseball games some of the most fun events I covered to the encouragement and help I received from Alexander, Judd, Penn, Bartlett, McNeley, Gray and Irwin, these are all men I consider friends, as well, and I certainly won't forget them.

Thanks, guys.

Thanks also to all of the other coaches, athletic directors and school staff members I've had the pleasure of dealing with over the past several years. Though you might not all realize it, each and every one of you has helped to shape what I've become, in one way or another.

I apologize if I've forgotten someone, but there are so many people in Nevada and the surrounding communities who have helped me out, I could write a book and would still probably leave some things out.

Since I first started working here full-time in June 2008, I've had the privilege of not only being the one to cover the only state championship in Nevada Lady Tigers softball history, but also two of the last three seasons of Nevada Tigers baseball, which were record-breakers. On top of that, I arrived just in time to be able to see and cover the duration of Nevada High School's search for a new conference, along with that battle's end, as well as some of the most decorated wrestlers in Nevada High School history, the inductions of 12 people and teams into the Nevada High School Wall of Fame, the first district championship the Sheldon Panthers baseball team won in nearly 20 years and the Panthers basketball team that won four consecutive conference championships, among many other athletic accomplishments from the area's schools.

Those events would have been fun, no matter what, but despite the objectivity I've had to maintain in my coverage, I couldn't help but become a fan of the teams I've covered. That just made seeing all of those successes even more fun.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the athletes on those teams are the reason I do what I do.

Not only would I be remiss if I didn't thank all of the athletes I've encountered over the years for making my job so satisfying and so much fun, I also got a lot of support for which they deserve thanks. In my bedroom at home, I still have a giant card with more than 100 names of Nevada High School athletes and staff members on it, which was given to me in 2011, when I was battling a medical issue that kept me away for a year and a half.

Even though I wasn't around for that extended period of time, support and gestures like that were the reason I felt like I was never really gone and jumped at the chance to come back, as soon as I could.

Whether or not the people of Vernon County claim me as one of their own, I don't know, but I do know one thing. I will always be a Tigers, Comets, Griffons, Panthers, Knights, Hornets and Wildcats fan.